


One Last Thing

by Dance_Elle_Dance



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Drama, F/M, Goodbyes, Hurt/Comfort, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-28
Updated: 2015-08-28
Packaged: 2018-04-17 15:57:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4672625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dance_Elle_Dance/pseuds/Dance_Elle_Dance
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>JJ thinks she is going to miss him the most. At her goodbye party, this has never been more apparent. (Originally posted on 7/23/10.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	One Last Thing

**Author's Note:**

> Re-post of my first RossiJJ fanfic! Please enjoy!

Jennifer Jareau sighed as she packed up all of her things into messy cardboard boxes, not caring where everything was supposed to go in relation to the other things. She had found that she migrated a bunch of her things from her house to her office - like several random gadgets and whatnot that would be more at home in Garcia's office than hers, and some of Henry's toys.

She sighed, feeling an insurmountable bout of sadness wash over her. JJ could practically feel her heart tearing from her chest, if she was allowed to be melodramatic. Which, considering all the things that had happened, she granted herself that one thing.

JJ wasn't even sure how it all went down. One minute, she was the liaison for the BAU, and the next she was packing up her office, trying to hold back tears and wishing she could just have a beer with her teammates and forget all of this was happening.

But, underneath everything else, she could feel the reason underneath everything.

Henry.

Of course, if she was going to go through with something this life changing, this extreme, it would be for her son. For Henry, she would do anything, even quit the job that she cared about passionately.

She tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear and looked around. Yep, everything was just about put away. The sorrow came over her yet again, because she knew that this was the last time that this office would be truly _hers_. She knew that soon, they would find her a replacement, one that would do her job, and soon, she would go into the category of "gone" - like Elle and Gideon before her.

Loneliness swamped her.

How was she going to say goodbye to everyone tonight? All of the team had planned a goodbye party - as per Garcia's nudging - and they were going to have it tonight in the bullpen. She looked dazedly out of her window and saw that Prentiss and Garcia were busy hanging up streamers and balloons and various party-like things, and she felt herself tense, her fingers stilling over the box she had in front of her.

Daring one more glance into the bullpen, she saw both Morgan and Reid putting out various presents onto the young genius's desk. They got her _gifts_? JJ felt her eyes start to water, and she hastily put her hand up to squeeze the bridge of her nose, clenching her eyes shut tightly as she did so.

She would miss them _so much._

Reid, with his endless array of statistics and boundless knowledge. She remembered the time he took her to the Redskins game and she smiled as she settled herself back into the chair behind her desk.

Prentiss, and their hours of girl talk when they were on the plane.

Morgan, and his hero-complex, kind heart, valiant nature.

Hotch, and his rare feats of dry humor and barely there smiles.

Garcia, with her vibrant personality, and ever-present smile. The expanse of her office decorated with bright, childlike colors, and the various times they had spent in there and laughed, laughed, _laughed._

And then…

Rossi.

She couldn't even bear to think about what she would miss about him. It was strange, something that she didn't even know the cause, her feelings for him.

"JJ?"

She started, not having heard him come in.

Rossi stood in the room, just inside the door, his eyes wary as he watched her. She could only guess what he was thinking - that she was going to be a girly, crying, hot mess all night. And she gave him credit, he was right.

"Hey, Rossi." JJ looked up and smiled at him. It was shaky, uncertain. Of course, he noticed.

"You going to be okay?" he asked, and his voice was full of kindness. JJ felt her heart clench in her chest.

_Geez, I'm pathetic,_ she thought, placing her hands on the desk and pushing herself onto her feet. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Just emotional, I guess."

"You have every right to be." Rossi smiled, and she felt herself smile crookedly back.

JJ laughed. "Yeah, at least you think so."

He cocked his head to the side, wondering the meaning behind her words, which she now realized could be taken a different way. She was glad she wasn't much of a blushing person, or else her face would've been lit up right about now.

"Everyone is going to miss you, JJ," Rossi said, giving her that look that always told her that he knew something more than she did - and she had a feeling it was about her.

"And I'm going to miss everyone, too," JJ said, softly.

"They're all down there," Rossi said, as if this was what he wanted to say when he first came up to her office. "Everything's set up and ready. They just need _you_."

JJ inhaled shakily, collecting herself before she could go to pieces in front of the man that she thought so much of. "Right. I'm coming."

She made her way to the door, but stopped when she got to Rossi. Closing her eyes, she gathered herself before she launched herself into his arms, hugging him as tightly as her arms would allow. He seemed shocked by the suddenness of it, but not unsurprised that it happened. After all, there would be a lot of hugs today.

This one seemed different, however. There was something heady to it, weighted. He put his arms around her, and then she lifted her head slightly, her lips pressing just off of his lips, in the corner of his mouth. Still, they skimmed the target they were looking for, and after, Rossi found himself pulling her closer.

They stayed like that for an immeasurable amount of time, relaxed, pretending that she wasn't leaving, even though that was the natural thing to do. People come, people go. But this separation felt physically painful. Like the team as a whole was a body, with functioning parts, and the heart - the very epicenter of it all - was being torn out, leaving behind a shattered, confused being.

They ended up parting and walking down to the bullpen together, where Garcia shouted, her eyes already teary beneath her glasses. Morgan put an arm around her and pulled her closer to him, while Reid and Prentiss stood close together, and Hotch was beside Morgan, looking at her with one of those rare, barely-there smiles.

And soon, she was just as teary eyed as Garcia.

The party was nice, crowded with the people she loved. They ate cake, drank a few beers, and chatted merrily - almost like it was some kind of strange birthday party. The gifts were unexpected, but JJ assumed that since it was a party, then…well, maybe they thought they had to get presents, due to the fact that it was a party. Garcia and the others didn't seem bothered by it, so JJ just assumed that they had wanted to get her something, so she left it at that. (Not that she minded being gifted new things.)

All of the presents made her feel indelibly wanted - the crazy, wild printed blanket from Garcia, or the very _large_ book on the history of the Redskins that Reid had given her. The spa coupon for a three free sessions that Morgan had given her. The nice, slinky, blue dress that Prentiss had picked out. The pair of elegant silver hoop earrings that Rossi had presented her…

All of that was more than JJ could ask for, so she could only stare in awe when Rossi brought out yet another present.

"This is from all of us, JJ. We all pitched in for this one." He gave her that rugged smile of his, and she looked, shocked, back at him. She let her eyes roam from his face, to everyone else's, before she gingerly took the small package from his hands.

"You think you guys didn't spend enough on me?" JJ teased as she slowly tore into the present.

"Never," Rossi said, but it was only a whisper of a word, so much so that JJ wasn't sure if she heard it at all.

JJ got through the wrapping paper, and was faced with a small, white box. Much like any other jewelry box she had been face to face with. She cocked her head to the side before undoing the tape on either side of the box and lifting the lid.

A startled gasp came from her lips.

It was a beautiful, silver charm bracelet, nestled into vibrant red paper. JJ set the box on the table nearest to her and took it gingerly into her hands, twirling it around and looking at each individual charm that was fastened to the bracelet.

"It might seem kind of cheesy," Garcia spoke for everyone now. "But we all got together and bought this. All of the charms stand for us, you know. I bet you can't guess who the pair of glasses stand for."

"Hey!" Reid yelped, which caused everyone to laugh.

Oh, this was just too much. JJ felt tears spring to her eyes as everyone stared at her. She flipped the bracelet over and over in her hands, looking at all of the charms, and feeling a sense of camaraderie that she knew she couldn't replicate anywhere.

Everyone quickly explained which charm was who, though JJ had a feeling about each and every one. She was right on each count, as they confirmed her hunches on each charm.

The pair of glasses - Reid - which reminded JJ that she hadn't seen him in his large, adorable glasses lately.

The small dog - Morgan - which, everyone had a laugh about, considering his prowess with women.

The single, high-heeled shoe - Prentiss - for her obsession with shoes. It was something that she and JJ had done on many an occasion. Gone shoe shopping. When they had a day off, of course.

The glove with a small baseball nestled inside of it - Hotch - because of his fondness for baseball. Not a lot of people knew about that one. JJ was reminded that Jack would probably play little league, and she smiled.

The small, silver feather - for Garcia, of course, and for all of those feathers that she wore in her hair, all the feathers on her pens, her notebooks, her clothes. JJ smiled as she lifted that charm onto her finger before spinning the bracelet around one last time.

There were even two other charms for the members of the team that have left - a silver bird for Gideon, and beach ball for Elle. That was something she wasn't expecting.

Twisting it one last time, she found Rossi's charm, on the other side of Gideon's. It was a book, opened to the center, and she smiled, remembering all of the times that she had read David Rossi's work, and thoroughly enjoyed what she was reading. Who knew she would've met him - and worked with him - all those years ago, when she was only first reading his name on the cover of a best seller?

Then, there was a butterfly, linked to the chain on the other side of Rossi's charm. It was beautiful, just like the other charms on the bracelet, and she felt her heart swell when she realized that this group of people knew her better than any others she had ever met.

JJ looked up from the bracelet with tears in her eyes, and she launched herself at Garcia, hugging her tightly, while everyone else stared with warmth. She then hugged each and every other person in that room. Good thing it was after the usual hours, so they were the only people in the room.

The "party" concluded shortly after that.

Everyone said their goodbyes, promised that they would keep in touch no matter what. Promised lots of things. Promised JJ things that she hoped they would keep. Actually, she _knew_ they would keep them.

She was passed around, hugged by everyone, the charm bracelet feeling warm and wonderful on her wrist, because it represented _them._ Because she would always have that - not just the bracelet, but all the time she had spent with them.

Rossi was the last to hug her, and this embrace shared the same tone from the one before in her office. She was kind of surprised at this kind of intensity in front of everyone, but no one looked to be surprised by it. Maybe it was just her…

His lips brushed the crown of her hair and she forgot what she was thinking about.

This went on for a while, and everyone insisted on walking her to her car. Which they did. JJ didn't have a problem with it; they were prolonging the moment, which made her feel happy. She didn't want to say goodbye any more than they did.

Sooner or later, JJ got into the driver's seat of the car, and cranked the engine. All of her team were watching her with kind eyes. Morgan was hugging Garcia, and Reid and Prentiss were holding hands. Hotch was smiling slightly, and Rossi was looking as if he was thinking something deep, but his eyes were soft.

JJ waved at them before trying to focus on getting out of the parking garage without hitting anything. They all waved back.

The rift created by the separation hit her so hard that she felt like she had gotten the breath knocked out of her.

She took a deep breath, looked out the rearview window, and started on her way.

JJ wasn't even out of the premises when the true waterworks started.

\---

It was quiet in the BAU.

So incredibly quiet.

Rossi didn't like it.

The days after JJ's departure were weighing heavily on everyone. They still called her - yes, even he did. _Of course_ he did. Maybe, he should say, even _Hotch_ called to see how things were going.

It was almost like the cases that they dealt with every day weren't enough, that they had to indirectly lose a member of their family as well.

Rossi walked up the steps to JJ's office for the first time since she left. There was a kind of poignancy to the moment that he couldn't shake, though he knew it was ridiculous.

He placed his hand on the doorknob and turned - the door was left unlocked, he was unsurprised to find.

He was, however, surprised to find that there were boxes piled on top of boxes piled on top of yet more boxes. Instead of the glaring emptiness that JJ had left in her wake, there were boxes. Boxes that he wished were somehow JJ's.

Despite his faint wish, someone new was moving in.

They had met her the day before. After all, cases had to be solved, and that was JJ's job. To look for cases that were most urgent, prioritizing them. Something that she was good at. The new girl was also blonde, something that Rossi didn't like. It was almost like they were replacing JJ with someone that only _looked_ like her, but also someone who lacked the caring in her eyes. This job was just another job. A stepping stone for her to get where she wanted.

He was missing JJ more and more as the seconds went by.

Rossi closed his eyes and went over to JJ's desk, running a hand over the smooth wood.

It was strange that this was happening so quickly, that someone would already be in this office, and their name wouldn't be Jennifer Jareau.

He couldn't take being in this office any more. The faint hope that she would come peeking around the mountains of boxes was something that he couldn't seem to rid himself of. So, he turned and walked back to the door.

Giving one last look at the room, he sighed, before saying, to no one in particular, "Really gonna miss you, JJ."

The boxes glared back at him.

Rossi shut the door gently, quietly, and made his way back to his office.

_Life goes on,_ he thought sarcastically, scoffing internally.

But, even though he mocked it, he knew it was true.

The thought itself might have been true, but Rossi couldn't help but wish differently.


End file.
